Vick earning pennies behind bars

ATLANTA , April 7 (UPI) -- Atlanta Falcons owner Arthur Blank said imprisoned player Michael Vick told him he is earning 12 cents an hour by washing pots and pans behind bars.

Blank told the New York Daily News that Vick, who is serving a 23-month sentence at the United States Penitentiary in Leavenworth, Kan., after pleading guilty to charges stemming from a dogfighting ring he operated, is also keeping busy by playing quarterback in prison yard football games, the Newport News (Va.) Daily Press reported Monday.

The owner said Vick wrote him a letter that led him to correspond with the former player "a couple of times."

"He talks about the process he is going through and what he has learned, the lessons of life, how he's going to come out a different person," Blank said. "He's sorry he has affected so many people in a negative way -- the league, our club, our fans. He feels awful about that. The letters sound quite sincere to me. From a mental standpoint, he sounds good ... I told Michael I'll do whatever I can to be helpful to him personally. Nothing to do with the Atlanta Falcons. He's a human being and I would like to reach out and if I can be productive to him in some way, I would be happy to do that."